Students Study
Abroad In Argentina
For
over ten years St. John's students have been traveling to Argentina
in a summer study abroad program. This program offered by the
Office of Global Studies, and led by Dr. Alina Camacho-Gingerich,
Professor of Languages and Literatures and Chair of the Committee
on Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), is a unique and
exciting experience. This past summer another group of students
participated in this successful multidisciplinary
program.
The
land of Sarmiento, Borges, Cortazar and the tango, Argentina, one
of the leading countries of MERCOSUR and South America’s second
largest country, is a great place to study. The program
takes place in Buenos Aires and in Corrientes, thus enabling the
participants to experience life in the capital city as well as in
one of its splendid provinces.
Buenos
Aires, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, is an elegant
and dynamic cosmopolitan city, which combines modern construction
with charming, old, picturesque neighborhoods. It offers a vast
array of cultural activities, including good theater, opera, movie
houses, museums, excellent international cuisine, and some of the
finest universities and bookstores in Latin America. The classes
are taught at the Universidad de Buenos Aires Instituto de
Literatura Iberoamericana and at the Universidad de la Cuenca del
Plata, in Corrientes. Students visit historical places, art
museums, cultural exhibits, the theatre, connecting their classes
to the real world.
This
past summer, Dr. Rafael Javier, Professor of Psychology, who had
previously collaborated in this program, taught a course in
Cross-Cultural Psychology. This combination of perspectives, gave
St. John’s students a more profound look at the country, its people
and its culture. In addition to studying with Dr. Camacho-Gingerich
the major literary figures of Argentina, as well as its history,
culture and politics, the students had a firsthand experience in
the study and implementation of psychology in Argentina with Dr.
Javier. They were able to witness the people in the trenches
and the professionals responsible for the care of these
individuals, a number of innovated programs run or supported by the
most important hospital in Argentina, “Hospital Dra. C. Tobar-
Garcia.” They were also able to visit a program for autistic
children, and the “Cuidar Cuidando” program, where they witnessed
how the experience of working with animals changed these children,
by working as zoo keepers. The students also visited the JAKAIRÁ
program, which offers the opportunity for pregnant adolescents, to
continue their education and work prospect.
Below are some wonderful
personal statements from the students that participated in the
program:
“To me it’s
like fiction, that Buenos Aires was ever founded. I judge her to be
as eternal as eternal as the sea and the wind.” Those are the words
of the internationally renowned Argentinean author Jorge Luis
Borges in “Fervor de Buenos Aires”, 1923. I
understand when Borges expresses here, his deep bond with
Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, his hometown. Buenos Aires
enchants and enraptures. The metropolis can easily be a source of
inspiration for both the spirit and the intellect.
The Argentina capital can
change lives. I had the privilege of experiencing the rich cultural
and artistic life the city offers, twice! (Julio Paredes was also a
participant in the summer 2011 Argentina program) to explore
language and expressive resources that encases the cultural and
artistic exhibition the city offers. The cultural exhibitions of
the city delve into the universe of the authors we studied in class
with Dr. Camacho-Gingerich: short stories by Borges, el “Martin
Fierro” by Jose Hernandez, short stories by Julio Cortazar,
the novel “La invencion de Morel” by Bioy Casares, and
other books. The books were made more relevant by the fact
that we studied them in the country where the authors are from.
To better
understand the history, politics and society of Argentina, the
program includes lectures with Dr. Noe Jitrik, Exceutive Director
of the Instituto de Literatura Hispanoamericana, part of the
University of Buenos Aires and Argentina’s leading intellectual
today. Professor Jitrik is the author of numerous books of
poetry, fiction, and historical literary criticism.
After exploring Buenos Aires, we visited the Pampas, Corrientes,
and Iguazu Falls. The heartland of the country is the Pampas, an
enormous, fertile plain where the legendary gaucho (Pampas’s
cowboy) roams. Corrientes is a province in northeast
Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. Culture in the region has
been primarily informed and influenced by its European and Guarani
roots. The program also included lectures at the Universidad de la
Cuenca del Plata, and visits to mental health centers as “Crecer
con todos”, a requirement of the psychology course taught by
Dr. Rafael A. Javier this past summer.
One of the magical
and mystical experiences was a visit to Iguazu Falls one of the New
Seven Wonders of Nature. The spectacular Iguazu Falls are created
by the merger of the Iguazu and Parana rivers at border of
Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The fascinating jungle zone has
more to offer that waterfalls, you can see birds like various
species of parrot and toucans, butterflies of many different
colors, and coatis or snookum bears, members of the raccoon family.
- Julio Paredes | |
It
was an amazing opportunity to be able to attend a performance in
the Teatro Colon and experience one of the world’s best acoustic
opera houses.
I
researched Iguazu Falls before the trip and saw beautiful pictures
that got me excited to participate in the program. However,
being able to witness these magnificent waterfalls in person was a
far better experience than I could have hoped for. It has
inspired me to visit all the other wonders of the
world.
While in Argentina I was enrolled in the Cross-Cultural
Psychology course. I would have never imagined being able to
meet professionals in the field of psychology in Argentina and
witness first-hand the programs they have developed to help their
fellow Argentineans. I’ve taken psychology courses on the
Queens campus but nothing compares to the first hand experience I
received while in Argentina.
– Kristina
Hoffman
The
trip to Argentina was one of the most interesting trips that I have
gone on in my life. It was an unforgettable experience.
During this time I learned about the culture of Argentina, Uruguay,
and neighboring countries. I have always wanted to know the
land of the tango, of Gardel, of famous soccer, renowned authors,
singers, politicians, etc. Finally I was able to achieve one
of my goals: To be able to attend one of my classes at the
University of Buenos Aires, with an excellent group of professors:
Professor Jitric, Dr. Camacho and Dr. Javier. We had the
opportunity to learn the history, the geography, and the real
culture from this beautiful part of the
continent.
– Maria Garcia
Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, from the intricate details in the
French architecture, to the colorful buildings of La Boca, and the
diverse people of the city. The bustling city and thriving night
life always gave us something to do in between studying. Although I
was initially upset to leave Buenos Aires to go to Corrientes, I
found Corrientes to be the best part of the trip. Corrientes had a
nice mix between the city, the beach and the country. It also had
the nicest people I have ever met. Everyone from La Universidad de
la Cuenca del Plata made us feel welcome and comfortable in
Corrientes. Another truly remarkable moment of the trip was
going to Iguazu Falls! It is indescribable how beautiful and
breathtaking this waterfall in the world really is. As a
Spanish major I hoped that this trip would help better my language
skills, and it did! I have definitely become more comfortable
with speaking and have added a plethora of new words to my
vocabulary.
- Katherine Hromadka
One of the highlights of Argentina was related to my Psychology
classes with Dr. Javier. Through this class I was able to
have real life, outside of the classroom, experiences with various
programs that are being held in Argentina to help better the
development of adolescence. I was so impressed with the
formative attitudes of those whose work we were watching and how
happy and willing they were to meet with our group and share their
work and their goals with us.
Another highlight was shopping in the San Telmo market. While
in this market, I got such a great feel for the culture and people
of Argentina. There is music playing, delicious Argentinean
food to be eaten, and so much to buy. I bought stuff from San
Telmo that will last me a lifetime and will always remind me of my
wonderful trip to Argentina. Also, the sheer number of
people that turn out every Sunday for this market is
remarkable.
Another place I
loved was Las Pampas! It was such a fun and carefree day with so
much of Argentina’s culture and history intertwined. Spending
time with the Gaucho’s was such a unique experience. They
were so enjoyable to be around and made such an effort to make sure
we were having the best time possible. Not to mention the
enormous feast they prepared for us, which was delicious, and the
entertainment they provided us with was priceless. And
although I swore I would never go horseback riding again, I
couldn’t say “NO” while in Las Pampas. It was tons of fun!
- Hayley Erickson
The summer program in Argentina was a life altering experience. It
was amazing to learn and experience the history, literature and
culture of Argentina both in the classroom and in person. The food
was amazing, the horseback riding with the gauchos was so much fun,
and dancing and singing were wonderful! I can't wait to
return!!!
- Carolyn Young
The highlights of
studying in Argentina were visiting the amazing Teatro Colon,
shopping in thestreet fair of San Telmo,and taking in the beauty of
Iguazu Falls. Those are truly experiences that I will never
forget and that I will hopefully return to see
again.
- Emily
Cuadrado
The
trip to Argentina was a wonderful experience! I cannot stop
talking about it to my family and friends. I really felt
inspired by the trip; professionally, academically and
personally. The friends I made are long lasting because they
share my appreciation for Latin American culture, its people, and
the language. I also learned a lot about myself. I am
looking forward to going back to South America and pursuing my
educational and professional career there!
- PegahEftekharzadeh